The Soft Systems Methodology $($SSM$)$ was born out of research conducted at Lancaster University to apply Systems Engineering approaches to solve $$management$/$business problems$.$ In other words they attempted to apply a Hard Systems approach to fix business problems. What they discovered was the approach often stumbled at the first step of problem definition. This happens quite simply because the different stakeholders have divergent views on what constitutes the system, the purpose of the system and therefore the problem. Two key players in the development of the SSM are Peter Checkland $[1999]$ and Brian Wilson $[2001]$ who through $$action research$$ were able to put together a practical and pragmatic approach to the identification and solution of $$soft$$ ill$-$defined problems. This methodology was more than just a process; Checkland and Wilson also developed a set of tools to help users carry out the steps.